Early Observations of Sacred Jewish Sites

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/27/2015

Two issues of the Gentleman’s Magazine, July and August 1767, each 52 pp., disbound, VG. From the July issue on an interior page and running nearly a full page, “An Abstract of the Honourable Edward Wortley Montagu’s ‘Journey From Cario, in Egypt to the Written Mountains in the Desert of Sinai.’” In small part, “I set out from Cariro by the road Taurichi Beni Israel, or, of the children of Israel. ..Through this breach the Israelites are said to have gone ... being hardly passable for Pharoah’s chariots. ... We from thence crossed the plain ... and entered the mountain of Sinai ... I saw on a large loose granite stone, an inscription in unknown characters ... as the Israelites had no writing that we know of when they passed. ... I examined it throughly and no chisel has ever touched it ... except that at Jerusalem, and the two which are in the rock which Moses struck twice ...” ...plus, from the August issue a full page “Continuation and Conclusion of the Abstract of the Honourable Edward Wortley Montagu’s ‘Journey From Cario, in Egypt to the Written Mountains : with a Plate truly representing the Inscriptions.” Unfortunately the plate is not present. In part, “... These are what are called Gebel El Macaatab, the Written Mountains. ... they were written after the publication of the law, Moses would not have permitted them to engrave images ... I think it is not improbable that these were written in the first ages of Christianity ... by the new Christian Jews

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